1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a media cartridge integrally containing a combination of a recording medium and ink capable of obtaining a high-quality image on a recording medium in a package, and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of executing recording of high quality by recognizing the media cartridge.
2. Related Background Art
The ink jet recording method has advantages of low noise, low running cost, compactization of the apparatus, ability to form a color image etc. and is therefore widely utilized in printer and copying apparatus.
The ink jet recording apparatus based on such ink jet recording method can form various recording media, for example recording materials such as plain paper, coated paper, glossy paper, OHP (overhead projector) sheet, BPF (back print film), glossy film etc. or other materials such as cloth, leather or metal.
However, in order to obtain a high-quality image on various recording media, it is necessary to select an ink composition and a printing mode according to the recording medium.
For example, in case of plain paper, the water resistance of the image is not sufficient, and, if a color image is to be formed, the image of a high density not causing feathering cannot be easily made compatible with the image of satisfactory quality without blotting between the colors, so that the quality of the color image is inevitably deteriorated.
There is recently commercialized ink containing water resistant coloring material in order to improve the water resistance of the image. However, the water resistance is not only still unsatisfactory even in such ink, but such ink, being in principle difficultly soluble in water after drying, tends to cause clogging of the nozzle of the recording head, and there is required an improvement in the recording apparatus with inevitable complication of the structure thereof.
The Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-84992 discloses a method of coating the recording sheet, constituting the recording medium, in advance with a material for fixing the dye. In such method, however, it is necessary to use a specified recording sheet. Also the apparatus inevitably becomes bulky and expensive in order to coat in advance the material for fixing the dye, and it is also difficult to stably coat such fixing material on the recording sheet with a predetermined thickness.
Also the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 64-63186 discloses a technology of depositing colorless ink (processing liquid) for insolubilizing the dye onto the recording sheet by means of the ink jet recording head. However, such discharging of the solution (processing liquid) for insolubilizing the dye by the ink jet recording head may result in deterioration of the image if the recording sheet already has an ink receiving layer coated on a base material such as an OHP sheet or coated paper.
On the other hand, deposition of a pigment on the OHP sheet or coated paper requires a long time for fixation, and the fixation for example with a heater leads to a larger and more complex structure of the apparatus with an inevitable increase in the cost.
For these reasons, in order to obtain a high-quality image on various recording media, it is necessary to select ink and print control mode for example on the printer driver according to the recording medium, and such selection is cumbersome for the operator and it may become impossible to obtain a desired image in case of an error in the operation.
On the other hand, the ink tank containing the ink is generally rendered replaceable on the recording apparatus, and is replaced by a new ink tank when the ink contained therein is used up. For this purpose, the apparatus is provided with a mechanism for detecting the remaining amount of the ink in the ink tank. However, such remaining ink amount detecting mechanism, being complicated in the structure, complicates the configuration of the recording apparatus. In order to resolve such situation, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-190857 proposes a cassette containing the recording sheets and the recording liquid, and discloses a configuration in which the amount of the recording liquid is maintained necessary minimum with respect to the number of the recording sheets, whereby the end of the ink is alternatively judged by the end of the recording sheets contained in the cassette whereupon the cassette is replaced by a new one.
However there has not been disclosed the combination of the recording medium and the ink or the setting of the printing mode, and there has not been considered the view of obtaining a high-quality recorded image, so that the aforementioned limitations on achieving high-quality recording have not been resolved.
Also the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3-67657 discloses a configuration of the ink and the recording apparatus, in which the information on the ink is indicated in pseudo manner by the resistance value of a resistor provided on the ink cassette, thereby allowing to set a recording mode or a recovery mode according to the ink. This patent application assumes the use of a specified recording medium and discloses the setting of the printing or recovery mode when different inks are supplied to such specified recording medium. Consequently there has not been disclosed the method of responding to different recording media.
In consideration of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide a media cartridge and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording an image of high quality and high reliability, showing excellent water resistance by a simple operation and free from feathering or blotting between the colors in the color recording.
The present invention has been reached as a result of intensive investigations for attaining the above-mentioned object and is based on a finding that the satisfactory printing can be obtained by housing an appropriate combination of the recording media and the ink tank in a cartridge and transmitting the optimum printing mode to the recording apparatus.
The present invention, based on the above-mentioned finding, is to provide a media cartridge to be detachably arranged to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a carriage driven in a scanning motion and be scanned and to mount an ink jet head for discharging ink for forming a recording on the recording medium, and a conveying mechanism for conveying the recording medium, the media cartridge comprising a cassette for stacking the recording media, an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the ink jet head, and a waste ink tank for collecting the ink not used for recording by the ink jet head, in a single container.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a media cartridge to be detachably arranged to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a carriage adapted to be scanned and to mount an ink jet head for discharging ink for forming a recording on the recording medium, and a conveying mechanism for conveying the recording medium, the media cartridge comprising a cassette for stacking the recording media, an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the ink jet head, a waste ink tank for collecting the ink not used for recording by the ink jet head, and an information medium, in a single container.
The information medium may assume a configuration having information capable of setting a print mode on the recording apparatus, or a configuration to be rewritable with respect to the remaining ink amount in the ink tank.
It is preferred that the amount of the ink contained in the ink tank is necessary and sufficient for the number of the recording media stacked in the cassette.
Also the recording apparatus embodying the present invention comprises a mounting portion for mounting the media cartridge, a conveying mechanism for conveying the recording medium from the media cartridge, an ink supply portion connected to the ink tank of the media cartridge for supplying the ink jet head with ink, and a waste ink recovery portion for guiding the ink, not used for recording by the ink jet head, to the waste ink tank.
It is further preferred that the media cartridge is provided with the information medium while the recording apparatus is provided with a detecting portion linked with such information medium and adapted to transmit the information of the information medium to the recording apparatus.
Also the information medium is rendered rewritable with respect to the specified information, by the detecting portion.
The present invention is to allow secure selection of the ink and the print control method, optimum for the recording medium, thereby realizing high reliability for the image.